As India celebrated the 10th anniversary of the 2011 ICC World Cup triumph on Friday, Harbhajan Singh, a member of the then world-cup winning squad, jogged down the memory lane and shared an interesting tale for the cricket enthusiasts. The story was from a night before India's famous semi-final win against Pakistan in Mohali, as he narrated an incident involving him and former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar engaged in a healthy banter. 


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

"Shoaib Akhtar told me the night before the match that he wants some tickets for his family and relatives from Pakistan. So I said no problem, and I called PCA (Punjab Cricket Association) and somehow arranged some four tickets for him. When I went to give them to him, he said 'It will be great if you can arrange four tickets for the final as well,” Harbhajan said in an interview with Sports Today. 


"I asked what he would do with them. He asserted that they (Pakistan) were going to play the final in Mumbai. I replied 'If you are going to Mumbai, then where are we going? India will play the final, and you should come and watch. I will give you four more tickets as well, no problem, you come and comfortably spectate the game."


India went on to win the semifinal against Pakistan by 29 runs and then defeated Sri Lanka in the summit clash at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium to be crowned as world champions.  


Remembering the campaign, Harbhajan termed the day when India lifted their second ODI world-cup as the "most important day" of his life.


"Unbelievable, 2nd of April, that day was the most important day I would say of my career, of my life. I was watching my dreams come true, the way the love was flowing, everyone had a smile on their face and was swaying with happiness. It was not just our win, it was India's win," the veteran spinner said in a video posted by his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.